Netanyahu Accused of Targeting Press Freedom, Claims Yair Lapid.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has raised serious allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of orchestrating a systematic attack on the country’s media.
Addressing an emergency session on freedom of expression in the Knesset State Control Committee, Lapid voiced concerns over what he described as a growing threat to press freedom in Israel.
“The press is under attack,” Lapid remarked, questioning the government’s stance on media criticism. “In what kind of country does the prime minister stand in parliament and undermine the fundamental principle of a free press? Where is criticism of the government, the media’s most basic role, seen as treachery?”
Lapid stressed the need for democracy to safeguard its core values, which rely heavily on a free and independent press. He noted that without this, democracy cannot critique or improve itself.
The “Media Freedom Conference,” convened by Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, highlighted several measures taken by the current administration that could potentially harm media independence.
Among them are proposed bills to privatize Israel’s Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan), a decision to end government advertising in the Haaretz newspaper, and attempts to change the system for measuring television ratings.
Since taking office in 2022, Netanyahu’s government has seen Israel drop 15 places in the annual press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders. Lapid suggested that such a decline aligns with the administration’s intentions.
Highlighting specific actions, Lapid referenced an attempt to appoint a compliant director-general at Channel 13 and the unanimous decision to halt all government advertising in Haaretz.
The accusations come amid rising tensions over press freedom in Israel, reflecting a broader debate about the government’s relationship with independent journalism and democratic principles.
